CB Draft '09 Mock Press Conference: Southeast Divison

[Tradetime]

Charlotte any worries starting 3 rookies and a second year player? Of the top of my head, I can't think of a team that started three rookies.

We're excited to see these guys show off their talents to the rest of the league. Griffin, Curry and Ellington were stars at their respective programs, and we believe they have what it takes to translate it to the NBA. Javale McGee has shown flashes of being perhaps a top cneter in the league for many years to come. We're anxious to see them come together and make it happen as a team.

[nickagneta]

BTW just so that the mods don't think this is personal on my part, because it isn't, I have received no less than 6 PMs from GMs around the league lauding my stance and agreeing that the NY GM only kept his team because he was a mods brother and that it isn't fair that said GM gets to do nothing and have others make his picks for him and yet if someone disagrees the mod brother is going to get defensive and summarily make bad comparisons between your team and that NY team.

As someone who has absolutely no stake in this argument,

I think it's fair that New York gets a pass when he has lost the internet for reasons that are out of his hands. He didn't take a vacation,k he's not blowing it off, he simply can't get to the internet.

I also think that the Knicks are a significantly better than the DC Boxers. I'm concerned with the ability of Jackson and Wallace to co exist, I don't buy into the Ramon Sessions hype and I agree with the statements made about Joel Pryzbilia. I do really like Scola though. But at the end of the day, just my opinion, I don't think this is playoff team, nor do I think they're anywhere close.

There's a surprise! Another GM whom the DC Boxers GM felt had a bad team is saying the Boxers won't make the playoffs. Very original.

Charlotte you may as well join the group as in a little while you will be finding out that I don't think you team is very good either.

[The Walker Wiggle]

Who is he competing for minutes with?  Brown and Wallace?  He will get minutes this year.

Well, again, I've assumed Villanueva and Wilcox would start? Although the rotation in Detroit is especially murky, to the point that even Prince/ Hamilton/ Villanueva/ Gordon/ Stucky is a possibility (Five best strategy?).

I agree Maxiell is in line for a bump into the 20-25 minute per game range, but in addition to the four players we've mentioned between us, there are also three rookies coming to the team that all play Maxiell's position...

[nickagneta]

Well it should come as no surprise that I like a lot of Washington's roster. I think Pryzbilla and Sessions are good bookends. I like Gerald Wallace in the middle, and I like the attitude Stephen Jackson brings to your team (passion), but I don't think he fits nearly as well as you'd like.

He's an older craftier stephen jackson. I don't think he can play the 2 at an elite level, but I think as a super sub off the bench he'd be perfect for your team. Keep his numbers down and this guy could carry your second unit for the next 5 years, and with Anthony Morrow emerging as a viable NBA player, and Gerald Wallace with the ever present risk of missing time, S-Jax would be the perfect guy to play the 3/small ball 4 for you.

Also, incorporating a bigger "small ball" philiosophy could be exactly what you need. Pryzbilla needs to play 25 mins a night or less, period. I know we disagree here but your evidence is individual games, and mine is an entire body of work with clear statistical trends. Giving Darko or Scola 5 more mins a night at center while S-jax mans the PF makes you a dangerous team, especially with the Magic. They don't have 3 players that can guard Morrow/Wallace/Jackson simultaneously, unless you think Dominick Mcguire is reliable as an elite defender.

All good suggestions that I will take to coach Van Gundy. Thank you for them and TP.

[The Walker Wiggle]

Charlotte:  Your team is extremely young, and you've got 3 open roster slots.  Any thoughts of signing some veteran FAs?  If so, who?

We want to give the roster we have assembled as much playing time as possible. The more they play, the quicker they will learn from their failures, but also their successes. If by chance we happen to fall victim to the injury bug and lose a couple of players, we will take a look around the league and see who is available at that time. We're fine with having 12 players at the moment.

I thought Cleveland's suggestion was an excellent one. And so for giggles, put together a list of veteran free agents that likely would've been useful to the Bobcats in the locker room, in spot minutes, and on the team bus. After all, Caron has a heavy enough load to shoulder on the court, he doesn’t also want to play chaperone, right?

My top four, Chucky Atkins, Kevin Ollie, Donyell Marshall, and Malik Allen.

All are now in consideration for the Celticsblog Fantasy D-League Select team (along with Adam Morrison, Ronnie Price, Ian Mahinmi, and Kasib Powell.) Although I'm still taking nominations.

[nickagneta]

To all the GMs, how do you match up with the other teams in your division? In your conference?

I think the DC Boxers match up well to everyone in the league. I definitely feel there are teams who are constructed to have much better regular seasons than the Boxers. I also feel that the Boxers are built to have much more success than other teams in the regular season.

I think we will and should make the playoffs. Whether as a three seed for winning our division or as a lower seed is not in our hands any longer. But what will be in our hands will be the individual game strategies and defenses and match ups and performances that will occur once we match up in the playoffs with individual teams. That I believe will be our strength and by mid season and the end of the year our philosophy will prove itself out by the stats our players put up in the real NBA.

[Gainesville Celtic]

Question for Orlando Chicago is dubbed the 2nd City, but when it comes to basketball they take their dynasties seriously. Chicago media is stating that Orlando is scared to play the Bulls in a 7 game series and is praying that Detroit or Philly takes them out. What do you say to these rumors?

No truth to those "rumors". We think we win a 7 game series in 6 or 7 games. If DET or PHI takes you out.... all the better (though like I said PHI actually worries me a little more).

CHI is a very good team and we respect them as an opponent but we DON'T fear them.

Orlando has pointed out correctly that they have the matchup advantage at SF against the Bulls and have an advantage at the 4th big. It's pretty obvious that Orlando has the SF advantage against any team in the league (like the Bulls at the point) and probably the 4th big advantage against any team too. Orlando claims in a series its about matchups. The Bulls will play off Lebron encouraging him to shoot and Bell, Bogans, Stevenson, and Johnson will all be getting double team help.  Now for the other matchups:

PG: Chris Paul (and J-will/Javaris) vs Hinrich (Telfair)
Rondo had his way with the real Bulls starter last year Rose. how will the Magics try to contain CP3 even in the least?

This is the clear position you have an advantage. It's gonna have to be defense by committe on CP3 as most teams do vs. the 5 or 6 all-world players. Hinrich is a good defender, not as quick as CP3 obviously, but he's a little bigger and plays the passing lanes well.

But this is the are where I really think your lack of a true SF hurts. The Magic will have no problem changing things up and having Hinrich cover Bell/Stevenson/Bogans and let Lebron cover CP3 for 20 or 30 mins/gm (like LA did with Kobe on Rondo in the Finals). Lebron is enough of a freak of nature that he can do it.

SG: Kevin Martin (Deswawn, Bogans, Bell, Buddinger) vs Richardson (Affalo and wilkins)

Will j-Rich play the defense necessary to stop K-Martin in the running game or will Martin go for 50? Will j-rich have to help on the Bulls bigs posting up or CP3 on drives?

Richardson is a proud man, he knows this is his chance at a ring and will play defense against Martin. Martin is a very good scorer but c'mon, Richardson is not a leadfoot. I think you are exaggerating any advantage Martin may have on JRich (which is minimal at best). Martin is the better shooter/scorer, but he also gives up 35 pounds to Richardson and has never been confused for anything other than an average defender.

Martin will not go for 50. In fact given his lack of defense, I think it's just as possible that JRich would go for 50 on Martin. I'd wager 100 TPs that Martin doesn't average more than 5 more points than Richardson in a 7 game series.

And no, Richardson is not leaving Martin to help on D.

This is also another case of where our depth comes into play.... Hassell, Afflalo and even in short spurts McGuire, will provide Richardson both backup minutes (that they might not get vs. say PHI or TOR) and the chance for Richardson to play more aggressive D (ie. foul trouble won't cripple our team).

PF Pau Gasol (Ryan Anderson) vs Charlie V (Varejao)
Charlie V can't guard Pau, so will Varejao have to start and try to contain Pau? If so, wouldn't that leave Pau to help on others and block shots?

Center: Al Horford (Pau, Armstrong) vs. Marc Gasol (foster)
Wil Marc Gasol be able to keep up with Horford in the running game or will it be alley-oop central. When Horford came to the Hawks they immediately started making the playoffs. He's tough. How will the inexperienced Gasol handle him?

Can't guard Pau? It's not like Gasol went of for 35 vs. Charlie V.

In 2 games vs. MIL last year Gasol scored 13.5 ppg, down from his 19 ppg average.
In 1 game vs. MIL the year before it was 16 vs. 19

Realistically, though I think that its much more likely (for both teams) that the Gasol's would match up vs. one another and Horford would defend Villanueva.

In that case Marc knows Pau's game and will bother him ---- and who wouldn't love to dominate their older brother. Pau will get the better of him but Marc + Foster will wear Pau down.

Villanueva has a much better chance keeping up with Horford and vice versa. Villanueva is the better offensive player, Horford the better defender.

FWIW, I think Horford gets way too much hype round this board (not just from you JR; Roy did it last year). He's a good young center and I saw him play at Florida a lot. Would LOVE to have him on the Celtics. But he's not Dwight Howard or Amare Stoudemire....

Horford was Player X in my press conf. (i think i left it off at the end.... sorry).

Gasol -- 24 years old, 11.9 pts, 7.4 reb, 1.7 ast, 1.1 blk, 0.8 stl in 30.7 mpg
Player x* -- 21 years old, 10.1 pts, 9.7 reb, 1.5 ast, 0.9 blk, 0.7 stl in 31.4 mpg

Atlanta starting to win was primarily b/c Joe Johnson took "the leap", but no question that finally getting a legit big like Horford was critical. But let's not go overboard. Gasol's and Horford's numbers were pretty similar last year too. Marc Gasol, Perkins, Horford, Brook Lopez, Bynum are pretty close together in my book as the next generation of 2nd tier centers -- all have some strengths and weaknesses.

[nickagneta]

Moving away from the NY/Den/Was feud...

Washington:  Can you explain your reasoning in dealing away Felton and Outlaw?  I had been very impressed with your moves up until that point, but believed that that trade was a misstep.

Orlando:  Who are the top five teams in the NBA in your opinion, and how does your team match up with them?

(Sorry for the limited questions; I've been away from the internet all day, and am about to leave for the weekend.)

The reasoning behind the Sessions and Wright for Outlaw and Felton trade was that I believe, quite simply, that Sessions is a much better PG than Felton and has a bunch of upside while I think Felton has achieved the pinnacle that he will strive to reach in this game. Also, I think Sessions is going to be starting in NY and that playing under D'Antoni will only further his development and improve his overall game and stats. I wanted a better PG.

Outlaw is good but I think he gets a lot more pub than his game warrants. Portland after all has basically decided that both Batum and Webster are better players. On the other hand I am a huge believer in Julian Wright and given reports out of New Orleans that has him starting this year over Peja and his strong Summer League he had, I took a gamble that this was the year he emerges.

[Gainesville Celtic]

To all the GMs, how do you match up with the other teams in your division? In your conference?

I think the DC Boxers match up well to everyone in the league. I definitely feel there are teams who are constructed to have much better regular seasons than the Boxers. I also feel that the Boxers are built to have much more success than other teams in the regular season.

I think we will and should make the playoffs. Whether as a three seed for winning our division or as a lower seed is not in our hands any longer. But what will be in our hands will be the individual game strategies and defenses and match ups and performances that will occur once we match up in the playoffs with individual teams. That I believe will be our strength and by mid season and the end of the year our philosophy will prove itself out by the stats our players put up in the real NBA.

I come down somewhere in the middle on the Boxers, Nick.

i don't agree that they're not a playoff team, but also can't see them as a 4th seed ahead of TOR or DET.

I agree with IP's assesment that the parts fit pretty well in WAS (I had SJax high on my board). I personally prefer Felton to Sessions too, so that hurts you just a tiny bit. Maybe from a solid 5th/6th seed to a 7th seed.

[nickagneta]

I've heard this "draft position" excuse a few times now out of DC, frankly i don't buy into that.  I had the 23rd pick overall - granted i wasnt psyched about that - but it also means you get an early round 2 pick.  Moreover, i only had 1 pick out of the top 70 in the draft, yet still believe i submitted one of the strongest teams in the league.

I think the Boxers have a funcional 5 that could compete well, but i see the bench as a big weakness.  I also only see 2 proven NBA scorers on this team in Wallace and Jackson, and neither of them have been among the most efficient in the game.

My question to DC is:

what will be the pace for this team? it seems like it should be slow as to allow your hustle guys to set picks/move around/grab boards, but at the same time Jackson has been successfull playing up-tempo and Wallace is at his best when he is flying around the court.  How do you solve this potential dilemma? Who's strengths will you cater to in your offense?

Picking 28th is not an excuse it is a reality. You are not going to win this game if your highest assest to start the game is that of a draft pick to select from the third highest tier of talent that there is. the first 5-6 players make up that first tier. The next 20 or so players make up that second tier. beyond that you are dealing with a severe drop off and a lack of true franchise players. You will not win this game when you highest initial asset isn't a franchise player.

That said, I admitted I made bad early trades and that I realized this and that it cost me. Dearly. I have been struggling to overachieve since then.

I actually addressed my teams pace and style in my presser. My offense is going to be dictated by my defense and we will run consistently off of defensive rebounds with our wings getting out and doing what they do best which is finishing in the open court. Of made baskets we will be a half court team but expect lots of movement and motion with multiple high post and low post screens and picks setting up mismatches and open shots.

Motion, speed and movement will be the signatures of this club. We will never stop moving and walking will not be an option. This should keep us efficient and balanced on the offensive end which will negate the need for a true "go to guy". Like I said I see us built more in the way that Detroit 2004 was built.

[johnnyrondo]

But this is the are where I really think your lack of a true SF hurts. The Magic will have no problem changing things up and having Hinrich cover Bell/Stevenson/Bogans and let Lebron cover CP3 for 20 or 30 mins/gm (like LA did with Kobe on Rondo in the Finals). Lebron is enough of a freak of nature that he can do it.

Obviously we'll have to agree to disagree on a lot of stuff, for example Charlie V vs. Horford. We think with CP3 as his point guard and Charlie V guarding him, Horford could go bonkers on offense. But the main area I want to talk about is Lebron on CP3 for 30 minutes. We'd love that. It would exhaust Lebron on defense to the point your offense would become impotent. And for the record that series when Kobe guarded the second yr Rondo? The C's won in 6... and by by s/n I love Rondo, but guarding 2nd yr Rondo and trying to guard Chris Paul is not the same thing.

Again we'll agree to disagree, but I think our stars will be wll rested come the playoffs, since we realistically have 13 players that can provide minutes in the regular season. I think Lebron will lead your team to a solid regualr season record, but if we match up in the playoffs in the 2nd or 3rd round, it's Bulls in 5 or 6 imho. Again we can agree to disagree and move on. Again kudos once more for your fine presser and answering all questions. TP.

[Gainesville Celtic]

Orlando:

I liked the trade of Okafor for Jason Richardson.  What was the original thinking in pairing Okafor with Marc Gasol, two lane-clogging bigs?  Is there any concern that outside of Charlie V, your big men don't stretch the floor?

Roy --- don't think i addressed this but the thinking was this:

at 2.19 we were choosing between Okafor and Biedrins as a big to build around Lebron with.

I realistically didn't think that M. Gasol (or another quality big) would be there at our next pick.... 4.3

When Gasol was still there at 3.20 we traded up to get him with the thought of either playing them together OR dealing Okafor (we knew a couple teams had interest in him when we took him).

Richardson was one of a couple guys we targeted.

[johnnyrondo]

Questions for the Cuba Heat

1) How are you handling taxes with player contracts on your team being in Cuba?

2) What's your opinion on Harden this yr and overall career wise?

[Gainesville Celtic]

But this is the are where I really think your lack of a true SF hurts. The Magic will have no problem changing things up and having Hinrich cover Bell/Stevenson/Bogans and let Lebron cover CP3 for 20 or 30 mins/gm (like LA did with Kobe on Rondo in the Finals). Lebron is enough of a freak of nature that he can do it.

Obviously we'll have to agree to disagree on a lot of stuff, for example Charlie V vs. Horford. We think with CP3 as his point guard and Charlie V guarding him, Horford could go bonkers on offense. But the main area I want to talk about is Lebron on CP3 for 30 minutes. We'd love that. It would exhaust Lebron on defense to the point your offense would become impotent. And for the record that series when Kobe guarded the second yr Rondo? The C's won in 6... and by by s/n I love Rondo, but guarding 2nd yr Rondo and trying to guard Chris Paul is not the same thing.

Again we'll agree to disagree, but I think our stars will be wll rested come the playoffs, since we realistically have 13 players that can provide minutes in the regular season. I think Lebron will lead your team to a solid regualr season record, but if we match up in the playoffs in the 2nd or 3rd round, it's Bulls in 5 or 6 imho. Again we can agree to disagree and move on. Again kudos once more for your fine presser and answering all questions. TP.

some good points here JR --- Lebron on CP3 would be *if* Hinrich/Telfair are getting killed....

But, you can't have it both ways:

Yes the Celtics (thankfully!) won in 6... but that had as much to do with Pau Gasol (and Lamar Odom) absolutely disappearing as it did with Kobe vs. Rondo (which I thought worked pretty well).

And we will have to disagree re: Horford vs. Villanueva.

"Bonkers"?!?! C'mon.

Horford in 2 years has not scored more than 27 points in an NBA game (and only 2 other games over 21 points) --- against, presumably, PF/C's that are worse than Villanueva.

If he *would* go bonkers, why hasn't he yet?

Horford is good, but Villanueva is not Mikki Moore.

[johnnyrondo]

I don't think Horford has played with a good pg. Bibby is a good shooter. In Chicago with Paul and the running game, Horford will flourish like West and healthy Chandler did.

Just to be clear we have another SF, we're really high on. He has a long wingsman and we will take it slow with him, but by the spring time we might be able to exploit matchups and throw him in there to post up like a Hinrich. We don't need him to win, but it doesn't hurt to have him as a silent extra weapon.

This David Thorpe tweeting during the Summer:

 

  -James Johnson with the best hesitation move of the week for a bucket.
    -Johnson has scored on a great dribble move, a sweet jumper, and a post flash to the middle of the paint. Very, very nice.
    -I understand why the Bulls drafted Johnson. But not Gibson.
    -I think Ben Gordon taught Johnson how to shoot before jetting up the road. His arc is pro perfect.